Teams & Riders Alberto Contador Discussion Thread

[dolophonic]

No, I just rank impressions. The last impression always has a bigger priority in any estimations and predictions. Probably you will agree with this in general. The Wiggins' Tour impressed me more than Contador's Vuelta.

Really.. i thought the Vuelta looked considerably harder

 

[airstream]

Really.. i thought the Vuelta looked considerably harder

I'm saying about the difference between one and others. Parcours could not affect on that. Suspension could, but the route could not

 

[veganrob]

Really.. i thought the Vuelta looked considerably harder

Agree with you. Vuelta route was much tougher that TdF. As was the competition.

 

[Carols]

Agree with you. Vuelta route was much tougher that TdF. As was the competition.

Indeed

Airstream will never give Berto credit for anything so bear that in mind.

 

[airstream]

How gracefully you operate with a factor of 'competition'! When Contador crushed Rodriguez or Valverde, anyone of you guessed to call competition weak? I doubt.

The strongest riders define the competion. Sky annihilated competition, they made others look absolutely powerless. Contador could not that. He collided with massive opposition out the guys he had always destroyed before. You may dislike that I call a spade a spade, but deal with it.

 

[Angliru]

How gracefully you operate with a factor of 'competition'! When Contador crushed Rodriguez or Valverde, anyone of you guessed to call competition weak? I doubt.

The strongest riders define the competion. Sky annihilated competition, they made others look absolutely powerless. Contador could not that. He collided with massive opposition out the guys he had always destroyed before. You may dislike that I call a spade a spade, but deal with it.

Just once I would like to hear you acknowledge that many of the prime candidates for the Tour podium were simply either not there or left the race prematurely, thus potentially altering the eventual outcome. You seem to me to leave that scenario out of any post that you make in reference to the 2012 Tour.

 

[Arnout]

What I mean is the immediate area under the peak of the curve limited by a dashed line, which represents his prime time. Something like the image below.

Lol about this graph. Way too general to describe the life of a cyclist.

 

[Afrank]

How gracefully you operate with a factor of 'competition'! When Contador crushed Rodriguez or Valverde, anyone of you guessed to call competition weak? I doubt.

The strongest riders define the competion. Sky annihilated competition, they made others look absolutely powerless. Contador could not that. He collided with massive opposition out the guys he had always destroyed before. You may dislike that I call a spade a spade, but deal with it.

It's easy to "annihilate" the competition when your only competition comes from a un-motivated (and not well supported) Nibali.

The rest of the guys, Van den broeck (Never would have beat Wiggins anyways), Van Garderen (young guy, can't challenge for the win yet), Zubeldia (never could have contended for the win), Evans (sick most of the year, bad preparation, and aging), as for the rest, most either taken out by Metz, or were guys that never could have contended for the win anyways.

If there had been guys like Rodriguez, Contador, Valverde (in form and un-injured Valverde), then Wiggins would have faced a much harder race. Plus it says something about the competition when the biggest threat comes from your own teammate.

 

[airstream]

Just once I would like to hear you acknowledge that many of the prime candidates for the Tour podium were simply either not there or left the race prematurely, thus potentially altering the eventual outcome. You seem to me to leave that scenario out of any post that you make in reference to the 2012 Tour.

Yes, because one raises this circumstance up to absurd. No one never ever called the 2011 Giro field weak, though the same people enthusiastically do that with the 2012 Tour. Evans surrended before his illness and everyone knows it.

If the train goes 1680 w/h, to attack is extremely difficult. A climber is able to fire, to produce 1700-1720 w/h instantly, but after 300-400 meters he would have to slow down and the train will start closing the gap. You base on names and their palmares mostly. I base on what I see. That's the main point where we differ in opinion.

 

[cineteq]

Lol about this graph. Way too general to describe the life of a cyclist.

Agree, it was just to illustrate my point to Flo.

 

[hfer07]

Contador anxious & excited to ride Tirreno-although not sure about Il Giro

http://video.gazzetta.it/spagnolo-svela-piani-il-2013/f239f740-6606-11e2-bacc-77a853434ee7

 

[Pentacycle]

Yes, because one raises this circumstance up to absurd. No one never ever called the 2011 Giro field weak, though the same people enthusiastically do that with the 2012 Tour. Evans surrended before his illness and everyone knows it.

If the train goes 1680 w/h, to attack is extremely difficult. A climber is able to fire, to produce 1700-1720 w/h instantly, but after 300-400 meters he would have to slow down and the train will start closing the gap. You base on names and their palmares mostly. I base on what I see. That's the main point where we differ in opinion.

Very much true, because it's best not to be biased. You're as good as your last race, most of the times at least. Also every GT or season is different and can't be compared as if it were a simple calculation, you can't really rely on certain riders to perform or to dominate a race. Guys who were nowhere in the past can become big winners(Cobo), while total dominators like 2011 Gilbert aren't nearly as good the next year.

Contador could still dominate, people who say he's past his best should wonder if a rider can already peak when he's 26/27(2009 was his best year in terms of results) while at 31 he's already declining. My guess is that this year we'll still see the best Contador, but his changed mentality has caused him to train less and to target less races.

Evans on the other hand doesn't have it anymore, he rode less than Andy did since the Tour. His only way to get on his old level is just to ride lots of races, like he did in his most succesfull years. However a 36 year old guy who has to come back from illness doesn't have the opportunity for that anymore. Unlike Contador, who should have a solid training base from last year.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I don't believe Alberto is training less. I just think he can't be bothered with small races anymore.

Contador anxious & excited to ride Tirreno-although not sure about Il Giro

http://video.gazzetta.it/spagnolo-svela-piani-il-2013/f239f740-6606-11e2-bacc-77a853434ee7

he looks tired

 

[Angliru]

Yes, because one raises this circumstance up to absurd. No one never ever called the 2011 Giro field weak, though the same people enthusiastically do that with the 2012 Tour. Evans surrended before his illness and everyone knows it.

If the train goes 1680 w/h, to attack is extremely difficult. A climber is able to fire, to produce 1700-1720 w/h instantly, but after 300-400 meters he would have to slow down and the train will start closing the gap. You base on names and their palmares mostly. I base on what I see. That's the main point where we differ in opinion.

From what I saw there was only one rider among the contenders willing (and able) to challenge the Sky train. I'm certainly hoping that the science isn't so exact as you seem to think, such that nothing and no one(s) could've altered in any way what you appear to believe was an inevitable outcome. It's more than just wattages. Enough pressure applied by one's opponents can change the best laid plans of even the most finely oiled machine like Sky in the 2012 Tour. If what we have to look forward to is more of what transpired at the 2012 Tour then maybe I'll plan my vacation time around the 3 weeks of the Tour so I won't be available, free to put in extra time on my bike and feel tempted to watch it and hope for something better (for me and my entertainment ).

 

[LaFlorecita]

I just saw some footage of yesterday's tt - Alberto seems very uncomfortable on the tt bike, he is all over the place.

 

[Miburo]

I just saw some footage of yesterday's tt - Alberto seems very uncomfortable on the tt bike, he is all over the place.

With bad shape, that's what you're going to get. Especially with Contador.

Start going crazy when he's not performing well in TA.

If he wants to do the double he needs to be bad right now.

 

[ILovecycling]

With bad shape, that's what you're going to get. Especially with Contador.

Start going crazy when he's not performing well in TA.

If he wants to do the double he needs to be bad right now.

I thkink you are right.

Dont panic guys

 

[airstream]

Yeah. If I were you, I wouldn't panic too. The podium is already reserved: Schleck - Froome - Cobo.

 

[Truth&Reconciliation]

Contador could still dominate, people who say he's past his best should wonder if a rider can already peak when he's 26/27(2009 was his best year in terms of results) while at 31 he's already declining. My guess is that this year we'll still see the best Contador, but his changed mentality has caused him to train less and to target less races.

We'll never see Contador like 09 again - that was like concorde - but he could well be the best rider in the world again.

 

[LaFlorecita]

With bad shape, that's what you're going to get. Especially with Contador.

Start going crazy when he's not performing well in TA.

If he wants to do the double he needs to be bad right now.

I am not going crazy I was just making an observation

 

[LaFlorecita]

We'll never see Contador like 09 again - that was like concorde - but he could well be the best rider in the world again.

He is still the best rider in the world imo, but I get what you're trying to say. I do think that he'll have to be at 2009 level to be the best rider this year.

(Best rider in the world is about the entire palmares not just 1 or 2 years)

 

[Truth&Reconciliation]

He is still the best rider in the world imo, but I get what you're trying to say. I do think that he'll have to be at 2009 level to be the best rider this year.

(Best rider in the world is about the entire palmares not just 1 or 2 years)

No rider will ever be at AC's 09 level. That type of power will never be seen again in the sport, quite rightly. He won't need anything like that level to be the best again.

 

[LaFlorecita]

No rider will ever be at AC's 09 level. That type of power will never be seen again in the sport, quite rightly. He won't need anything like that level to be the best again.

his level wasn't that high. Sure he was great but come on he beat a 24 year old Andy Schleck by 4 minutes in the tour. That's not out of this world.

 

[ILovecycling]

Yeah. If I were you, I wouldn't panic too. The podium is already reserved: Schleck - Froome - Cobo.

ye,in your upside-down world

 

[airstream]

From what I saw there was only one rider among the contenders willing (and able) to challenge the Sky train. I'm certainly hoping that the science isn't so exact as you seem to think, such that nothing and no one(s) could've altered in any way what you appear to believe was an inevitable outcome. It's more than just wattages. Enough pressure applied by one's opponents can change the best laid plans of even the most finely oiled machine like Sky in the 2012 Tour. If what we have to look forward to is more of what transpired at the 2012 Tour then maybe I'll plan my vacation time around the 3 weeks of the Tour so I won't be available, free to put in extra time on my bike and feel tempted to watch it and hope for something better (for me and my entertainment ).

And you will boycot the Tour if your rider will not win??? Is it a real cycling fan's behaviour? uuuuu..

I will watch no matter the result is. The race itself is more important.